Internet, Space, Politics, and War: How Western government-business collaborations and connections is spurring other countries to develop their own

Internet, Space, Politics, and War: How Western government-business collaborations and connections is spurring other countries to develop their own

    Friday, January 13, 2023   No comments

The US administration has used connections between private businesses in China and the Chinese government as a reason for banning Chinese companies from operating within the country. They argued that data collected by these businesses may end up in the hands of foreign governments. When some European governments joined the US government and put restrictions or bans on China-based businesses, it made this problem a global one. At the same time, it brought to the forefront the relationship between the private sector and governments. The media coverage may suggest that the problem with governmental use of data, information, or technology owned by businesses applies only to businesses operating out of China, implying that Western governments do not use tools from businesses or collaborate with businesses to achieve national political and economic advantages. The Recent and ongoing events around the world, however, are confirming that there is not a divide between private and government entities. All governments end up leaning on companies and businesses operating from their territory to use their resources and assets to protect and further what they see as their national interest. The connections and relations between business-government was revealed clearly during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

During the pandemic, drug companies received government funds to develop vaccines and anti-viral drugs. And that private-government partnership extended to the control of the production and distribution of drugs according to government priorities, not market forces or public good conditions. For example, EU governments prohibited European vaccine makers from selling their products outside Europe to prioritize the vaccination of Europeans over the rest of the world.

Also, with the start of the war in Ukraine, US-based social media, Internet companies, and media outlets all fell in line with policies and guidelines developed by Western governments to control the narrative about the war, which consisted of filtering out any coverage or information that may appear to be sympathetic to the Russian point of view.

Also, with the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the then-richest person on earth and the majority owner of SpaceX, the company behind the Starlink project which deliverers high-speed internet from space, Elon Musk, announced that he will allow the government of Ukraine to use the service. Similarly, when demonstrations broke out in Iran the fall of 2022, Musk told Iranians that he will make Starlink services available to the anti-government protesters.

With China facing similar pressure related to its claim over Taiwan, the ban on Chinese technology companies and the willingness of US-based companies to support US positions on global conflicts, it was not hard for the Chinese leaders to build or strengthen alternative to US- and EU-based companies so that they cannot be used against them the way they have been used against Russia and Iran. We also anticipate Russia and Iran to allocate resources to developing similar structures to address these issues. The recent revelation about the emergence of a Chinese competitor to Starlink and SpaceX bolster this conclusion. The media coverage, blow, should provide more context.

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Ukraine Conflict Has never been just about Ukraine: The Danger Catastrophic of Out-of-Control Escalation is Real

Ukraine Conflict Has never been just about Ukraine: The Danger Catastrophic of Out-of-Control Escalation is Real

    Thursday, October 27, 2022   No comments

After warning that the military operation in Ukraine could  turn into a world war three, Russia now says it could become a space war, too.

Konstantin Vorontsov, Deputy Director of Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Affairs in the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced that "American satellites may become legitimate targets for striking them if they are used in the conflict in Ukraine."

"We want to focus on a very dangerous trend that was clearly demonstrated in the course of events in Ukraine. We are talking about the use by the United States and its allies of civilian infrastructure components in space, including commercial ones, in armed conflicts," he said during the meeting of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. .

He noted that "US quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target to strike. As a result of the West's actions, peaceful space activities and the world's social and economic processes, on which the well-being of people primarily depends in developing countries, are exposed to unjustified risks."

And the company "Starlink" owned by the American businessman and billionaire Elon Musk announced, last March, to send equipment to provide Internet in Ukraine.

It is noteworthy that the provision of free internet services to Ukraine, through Starlink, is one of the most effective tools on the battlefield, by obtaining secure and impenetrable communications by the Russian army, and able to provide the Ukrainian side with the locations and movements of the Russians, thus facilitating the possibility of Targeted by modern Western weapons.

In this regard, the American “Axios” website said, earlier, that “private space companies parallel, and often exceed, the capabilities of governments, which gives not only technological power but also geopolitical power to those who run them,” referring to Starlink owned by Musk.

Russia had announced, earlier, that it would treat any penetration of its satellites as a justification for war.

Also, the Director of the Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Vladimir Yermakov, confirmed earlier that "American weapons to Kiev bring Russia and NATO closer to a direct confrontation."